Instrumental 20 Seconds

I’m a bit bewildered by blogging but it seems to be going well, what do you think? So today is Saturday and I’m writing about Friday. Which ever way you look at it, it’s the festival weekend!

Day Four started for me at the NFB once again. Here’s a tip for you, check in on your Four Square at this location three times and you get a pair of tickets to any future screening there.

In a change from the usual folk attending screenings, students from local schools primarily provided the eyes watching. It was hard to tell if their hormones and youth had them facing forward. Maybe it was the early start that had sapped their attention span as they had a chance to provide some public service announcements sculpted in plasticine brought to life with stop motion equipment at the venue. Ironically one was about paying attention to your surroundings while the other was about respecting people and monsters alike. Perhaps I should take their advice and question if my sixteen year old self would have been able to resist making snoring sounds as the lights go down to be dipped in a dark pause before the shorts from the Drawing on the Art of Hand & Foot started.

Sword play featured heavily in various formats from drawn smokey sketches to green screen generated environments. A tower block inhabited by typefaces and another animation about break dancing had strong messages packaged perfectly for developing minds, while snowy scenes of nature Vs. a hunter unfolded in paper as an echo eco avalanche.

My bike kept busy as my equipment ran out of juice prompting a trip home. On my return fluffy dank wisps of fog clung to the buildings further south on Spadina as I arrived at the Reel Asian’s HQ that cohabits with a multitude of art galleries. I creaked the maze of floor boards to the A Space Gallery for the reception of RMB City. Second Life software had been used to make two short films on display as well as some illustrations of locations that exist in the cyber world. A terminal was also in play so you could experience navigating the metropolis. I can see the appeal of sending an avatar on a walk with my legs still aching from the ride over and having the option to fly is definitely better than looking for a bike lane.

Slightly saddle sore I made my way back north to College street for the first use of The Royal for Suite Suite Chinatown. I had previously been to a paranoid season of films under the M.U.C.K festival brand here (It stands for Movies of UnCommon Knowledge – nothing dodgy honest!). The auditorium was more alive than on my last visit with colourful tissue paper in the cup holders and a human sound system in the front row with shiny gold instruments. Balloons were also given out for an audience participation section of the ode to Chinatown. The water on ink opening had the title glide over the blotting pigment picture as it evaporated like the weather conditions outside.

Plastic bag inheritances, deeply personal video of family abstracted and a condiment piano to rival the fun of the giant keyboard in Big answered for the film makers what Chinatown was to them. The last act appeared in what I can only describe as Scrumplevision as the viewers were asked to accompany the Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School Band with sound effects transpiring with the moments on the screen. More satisfying and less headache inducing tht 3D cinema.

Heading out in the mist the live band were treated like rock stars as they made their exit and the audience also had a chance to take lead vocals at the karaoke party down the street at The Abbey.

The last time I sang Karaoke.

I decided to save everyone the terror of my singing voice as they were serving food at the pub. Sweet potato fries would have turned sour and all drinks regardless of milk content would have curdled if my wailing had of been transmitted. The muted wrestling on the flat screen televisions kind of worked with the songs as the brave and talented tamed their sonic renditions of classics proving Reel Asian is a sound choice.